Autumn is one of my absolutely favourite seasons with its cooler days and evenings. My garden is calling me to action is yours? I’m prepping my soil for planting my winter vegies – I love to buy some and grow some.
I find that the effort of successfully growing some of my herbs and vegies makes me appreciate more than ever how lucky we are to have such an abundance throughout the year at the market.
After the rain many of our farm herbs are flourishing across a number of our farm stalls and we are loving the quality of these. Have you heard of the herb Damiana?
Lyn and Tim from Mad Mountain Family Farm are back with us for the next two weeks with their great range of award winning sauces, jams and chutneys, chilli flakes, rose water and herbal teas. They also have an extensive range of chilli plants plus culinary and medicinal herbs and flowering plants. For example they have a less well know but fascinating plant Damiana. This is a beautiful flowering permaculture plant with many uses, It is also known as the dreaming herb. Its leaves and flowers can be eaten in salads or added to green smoothies, it can be dried and used in herbal teas. Damiana is great for attracting native bees and other beneficial insects. It is a beautiful shrub size plant, which is great when used as a medium size ground cover.
Damiana is one of Lyn’s favourite plants and she is sure it’ll become a fast favourite of their gardening customers. 🌱😊
WARNING: The Happy Herb Co wrote that “Damiana, our favourite herb, was used by the Aztecs for impotency and Mexican women were also known to use the fragrant leaves in a tea to stimulate love making.”😂🤔
Very popular fresh herbs
Last week I collected a beautiful bundle of fresh mint, parsley, rocket and basil and I have loved using these prolifically in tossed salads and in my green smoothies. Fresh herbs add such a burst of flavour. Mint adds such a delightful contrast on fruit dishes and a sprig added to a cool drink is perfect.
Storage tips: herbs store really well in a variety of ways. Placed between layers of sightly damp paper towel works but I prefer to store mine in a tall glass jar with a screw top lid. Bees wax wraps or a beeswax storage bag keeps them really fresh too.
Costanzo Apples now have their new season Royal galas AND Fuji apples as well as the ever popular granny smith’s so there really is an apple for everyone.
If you missed out on these glorious flowers last week never mind – we have more this week at our newest stall so come and meet Cathryn Binstead of Platypus Point and check our her beautiful pink proteas. She also makes a delicious range of jams, chutneys and pickles including beetroot pickles and a lime and a three fruit marmalade.
Coming soon are new season macadamia nuts – on 18th March and new season pecans coming mid April. Did you know Nudgel Nuts macadamias are grown in the picturesque fertile valley known as “The Pocket” in Billinudgel? The property covers 200 acres and also runs beef cattle and a herd of elite alpacas – all contributing to Ian McRae’s farming style where he uses environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices with minimal exposure to pesticides and other sprays.
Growing the tastiest macadamia nuts is tricky but Ian and Leone from Nudgel Nuts have perfected the process and we are lucky to have the BEST flavoured and freshest nuts here at the Market.
